Can't get the humidity up in screen enclosure

[Mr Wilson]

Hi everyone. As the title says, we can't get the humidity level up at all in our screen enclosure. We have 3 live plants in it and have been misting as well as dripping. We put coconut husk down as substrate so the water would have somewhere to go between cleanings. Our new cham will be here this morning around 10 am and we cannot get this humidity to get above 10!!

On our old enclosure we had a floor mat, do you think we should put that back on to heat up the wet substrate? Would that make a difference at all??

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

[jrh3]

Yes heating up the wet floor would help. You can cover 2 sides of the cage with clear plastic like the kind you lay down for painting. by covering this you should retain moisture.

 

[RPCV]

It is very unlikely that the relative humidity in your enclosure is 10% (near impossible this time of year). The accuracy of hygrometers is very poor at lower RH levels. Many have error of +/- 7% or worse at 30% RH and are not accurate at all below this level.

Also, relative humidity will be lower in the basking area where temps are higher. If your probe is in a high temp area of the enclosure consider moving it to a location with temps. more in line with ambient room temps.

As JRH3 mentioned you can try to enclose two sides with a non-porous barrier or use an ultrasonic humidifier with the mist directed towards the cage. Just make sure you give the enclosure some time to dry out each day to reduce the risk of microbial growth.

Humidity will naturally increase as spring moves in and outdoor temps. increase. Winter does not last forever, it only seams to.

 

[pantherlover]

hey im from canada & ive been having to deal withlow humidity all winter with the heat running through my house. the clear plastic is a good idea. i use a shower curtain on 2 sides. i boost up the mistings to about 5 a day. i let him get water from his dripper 4 times a day & i spray gently him with warm water once a day. if it makes the cham pissy, i wouldnt suggest that one tho. recently tho, i spent a little chunk of change on a good humidifier & i was able to cut back on the misting to normal.. i also heard a hot moist towel helps a bit. if youve got the heat on, maybe cover the vent if the temp in your house will stay reasonable. id suggest a good humidifier when money permits but covering 2 sides of the enclosure will def help trap some humidity in there. ive heard of people up here not be able to keep the humidity high enough at all times so they just increase the misting aswell

 

[Mr Wilson]

Thanks for the advice everyone i probed some spots with a different hydro meter and its reading about 45-50% at about 6" from the bottom and about 25-30% in the basking spot. Im gonna try the mat first to see what that does then maybe pick up a smaller humidifier.

 

[Leilaskeeper]

Thanks for the advice everyone i probed some spots with a different hydro meter and its reading about 45-50% at about 6" from the bottom and about 25-30% in the basking spot. Im gonna try the mat first to see what that does then maybe pick up a smaller humidifier.

I don't recommend a mat to heat the floor. Temperatures should be lower near the bottom and higher in heat at the top... ie basking temp/ambient temp.

Think about it: if a chameleon is in it's wild habitat, does the ground get hotter or colder? It's cool...

Also, there is a risk of their feet burning.

Good suggestions that are effective were the shower curtain and humidifier. If you have issues with heat, space heaters are better to use. Not heating pads. Those are more for desert species that are on the ground like a gecko or bearded dragon.

 

[RPCV]

Also - raising the temperature will actually reduce relative humdity. Although it may provide a slight increase in total moisture vapor, specific humidity, if you are heating wet material.

Leilaskeeper is right - best to try and reatain moisture or introduce more using a humidifier than using heat.

 

[Mr Wilson]

hmm ok. We figure we can do a lot of misting him and making sure he has plenty of water to drink while we figure all of this out!!

As for the shower curtain around the sides of the tank, how long do you leave that on there for?

 

[Olimpia]

I made myself a PVC pipe frame that sits ontop of my Jackson's cage, and I tied a shower curtain to it so that three sides are covered. I cut the shower curtain at the bottom isn't longer than the actuall cage, and this serves two purposes: 1. it keeps the misted water from going all over the room by having it run down the curtain into the drainage tabe we have set-up and 2. it helps hold in humidity but since it's not tied at the bottom or anything, when we ventilate the house plenty of air still goes through all sides.

This has worked well for me. I just leave it on there all the time.

 

[Seeco]

Hang a wet towel over some of the cage where the mister hits.

 

[RPCV]

I think you will find many creative ways to keep moisture in. Mostly from those of us who have not yet figured out that we should move to avoid winter.

I picked up a few sheets of Elmer's brand foam (not construction paper) poster board (available at wallmart, target, office depot...etc.) for about 3 bucks a sheet. Attached velcro to the back and two sides of the enclosure frame, cut the poster board to size with a razor then hung them on the cage. I left a few inch gap at the bottom of the enclosure to allow for air movement. Take down the side panels after winter and leave the back one up so mist does not hit the wall. I have had them for about a month now and appear to work well. My guess is the moisture will eventually damage them...but so far so good and with the cheap cost they are easily replaced.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Thanks for the advice everyone i probed some spots with a different hydro meter and its reading about 45-50% at about 6" from the bottom and about 25-30% in the basking spot.

These levels seem fine to me.
What species?
Definitely do not use a heat mat in a chameleon enclosure.

-Brad

 

[sandrachameleon]

No heat mat. As has been said, cage needs to be warm at the top, cooler at the bottom. Cover the back and sides with something solid to retain humidity. Cant hurt to buy a second quality guage, to help monitor humidity mid-cage. 40% (even 30%) is okay for veiled and panther, so long as you mist a few times a day (at which time the humidity will shoot up) and ensure adequate drinking water (dripper)

 

[Mr Wilson]

These levels seem fine to me.
What species?
Definitely do not use a heat mat in a chameleon enclosure.

-Brad

It a male Ambilobe he's about 10 weeks old. Im gonna try some plastic sheathing on at-least the back mainly to stop water from getting on my wall and ill see what that does.

Thanks